Unabridged Marriage Certificates – What are they and do I need one?

An Unabridged Marriage Certificate, also called a full Marriage Certificate depicts in full detail, the most important information about both spouses as well as details of the marriage itself.  Unabridged Marriage Certificates are required where a couple are emigrating, wishing to apply for a foreign passport or where a couple is planning extensive international travel.

It is well known that the lead time for an Unabridged Marriage Certificate can stretch to months or sometimes even years which has made document sourcing services such as Q-Pro popular where time is of the essence. We are able to source these documents irrespective of where the applicant is located whether it is locally or abroad.

In order to apply for this certificate the following document is required:

• A completed BI 130 completed in black ink dated and signed by the applicants
• A letter from the applicants depicting the person’s contact details including residential address, cell/mobile number and e-mail address expressly requesting the certificate. Both spouses Passports or Identity documents are required or at the very least a copy of the page containing the biometric data and photograph.
• The original and a copy of the couple’s unabridged marriage certificate and if the marriage is less than 6 months old, a copy of the BI-30 form from the marriage officer which would have been submitted to the office of the department of home affairs to register the union.